The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-01-14
Ladies Department.
One Woman's Way.

ano Their than were John and I. We
did not agree on all points, by any
means, but such disagreement seem
ed to be quite outside of our joint
life. We assimilated more and more,
till came to wonder how | had ev.
er lived without him, and to think
of marriage as the very gateway to
a heaven that could hardly hold
more happiness than we knew from
dsy to day.
John had an office on Main street,
but went to it only in the afternoon,
all special cases coming to the
house, and there he did The hardest
work, studying often late into the
night. / fought this habit as far as
possible, for it is an exhausting one
but he insisted that he could never
think so clearly at any other time.
NOW and then he drank glass Of
claret; sometimes | made chocolate
and left it for him, but the claret he
thought suited him better. was
accustomed to see my father take it
daily, and, though I half wished that
John need not depend on it. it seem
ed wild nonsense to think the habit
a dangerous one.
We had lived together three years.
Stephen was year old before there
seemed any reason for real anxiety.
Then [ found that Johns hand shook
in the morning; that he had no APP
petite, and was nervous and irritable
till the day was we'll on towards
noon, though never to me. could
not bear to question him, but the
opportunity came one night, when
he was specially anxious over case,
and | volunteered to help him. |
sat with him till one in the morning
and grew more and more startled.
Claret had given place to Burgundy.
The bottle sat by him and he drank
glass after glass as if it had been
water. He seldom took wine at the
table. and I had not realized how
the habit had grown. He looked up
as the work ended, pushed away the
papers and came around to my chair
looking half startled. but with the
fondness he always showed. You
are worn out, my darling" he said.
81 had no right to keep you so.
What is il?'
Then | tcld him, and as [ spoke
horrible dread came over me, aud |
clung to him as if he were in some
mortal peril, He laughed at first,
and then grew very serious, and sat
looking at Inc as [ spoke, till fl
nally | could do nothing but cry.
"Dear," he said at last. ''all the
strength there is in it is not worth
the suffering you have had this ev-
ening. Ill 90 back to the claret
and half rations, and you must
promise moi to worry so again
Then implored him TO give it
all up, aud when he urged that he
could not work without it, [ told
him that was the strongest reason
for dropping it altogether, But it
ended in half Indignation on his
part that I would not trust him, and
the fear ON mine that perhaps l was
unreasonable, and SO it rested there.
I did trust him. He showed me
the bottle one day and told me
laughingly, l was carrying my point
after all Tor he had come down to o
third If II bottle, and really thought
he felt The better for it. But there
was q change in John. 1t came al
most imperceptibiy. He grew moody
and ftful; irritable to the children
and sometimes to his clients, in the
highest spirits at times and then
correspondingly depressed. People
thought lis health was breaking
down from ever work, and the doctor
tod HIM he was we'll on in nervous
prostra il n, and that a few months
or even weeks longer would bring
him to stage from which recovery
might be impossible.
| think [ knew the real cause in
tutiv-ly though John never spoke
of his ate, and q curious silence
had grown up between us. That
wine had anything to do with it,
every oue would have denied. His
daily habits were as regular as pos.
sible. lie was naturally methodical
and an enormous worker, and his
singularly quiet and courteous man
i 4.